Here are some important safety guidelines to follow during a total solar eclipse.
View the Sun through eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer during the partial eclipse phases before and after totality.
You can view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection only when the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face – during the brief and spectacular period known as totality. (You’ll know it’s safe when you can no longer see any part of the Sun through eclipse glasses or a solar viewer.)
As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright Sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar viewer to look at the Sun.
I'm sure everyone knows this, but...Eclipse glasses, welding goggles, etc. are an absolute necessity for viewing an eclipse except during the brief period of total eclipse, when the moon covers the entire surface of the sun from view.
This is when you want to remove your protective lenses, so you can see the corona around the sun, something only visible during a total eclipse.
I'm sure everyone knows this, but...Eclipse glasses, welding goggles, etc. are an absolute necessity for viewing an eclipse except during the brief period of total eclipse, when the moon covers the entire surface of the sun from view.
This is when you want to remove your protective lenses, so you can see the corona around the sun, something only visible during a total eclipse.
Except you want to put your glasses back on before the total eclipse ends because you want to see the diamond ring effect. That only happens for a moment and you don’t want to miss that.
Aren't there two "diamond ring effects", one at the beginning and another at the end of the period of totality?
But to your point, yes, you will want to put your glasses back on prior to the emergence of the sun from totality, or risk some serious eye damage.
The standard's maximum allowable luminous transmittance corresponds to that of a shade 12 welding filter, while the minimum corresponds to that of a shade 15 welding filter. Before the advent of cardboard "eclipse glasses" and handheld solar viewers, astronomers routinely used welding filters to view the partial phases of solar eclipses without injuring their eyes. A shade 12 filter is safe, but many observers find the solar image uncomfortably bright. For that reason, shade 13 and 14 filters have been more popular as eclipse viewers, though some observers feel that the solar image in a shade 14 or darker welding filter is too dim.
It is too bad the auto darkening goggles don't go to shade 14. It seems they stop at shade 13.
Aren't there two "diamond ring effects", one at the beginning and another at the end of the period of totality?
But to your point, yes, you will want to put your glasses back on prior to the emergence of the sun from totality, or risk some serious eye damage.
I think that's true. At least mine only go to 13. That's very good, just not good enough. And to your other question, no. Don't even think about using binoculars with eclipse glasses. The whole point of binoculars (or telescopes) is to concentrate and focus the light, so the intensity is likely way more than the glasses can handle.
Last summer I bought six pairs of eclipse glasses on Amazon for $10, and I see that they are now up to $13. I'll bet they go up again in the next month.
We are timing our cross country road trip to be in the path of totality on April 8, but no way am I going to pay $800 a night lol. I will just park at a Walmart or something for 30 minutes to catch it, then continue on to a regular priced hotel a hundred miles onward.
It might take you 5 hours or longer to travel that 100 miles away from the eclipse. I heard horror stories from the last one. I took a train, thinking that wouldn't be delayed, but it was a few hours late, probably Amtrak being Amtrak.
I doubt you'll be able to just whiz right into the eclipse zone either.
It might take you 5 hours or longer to travel that 100 miles away from the eclipse. I heard horror stories from the last one. I took a train, thinking that wouldn't be delayed, but it was a few hours late, probably Amtrak being Amtrak.
I doubt you'll be able to just whiz right into the eclipse zone either.